It seems that I am quite full of secrets lately, and, it's true, I am. Being in tune with my food choices has really helped me uncover many secrets in the food world. Some of these little secrets have been plainly in front of me for some time now, but I overlooked them. For so long, I have tried every fad, because I have read the miraculous success stories and I just knew that I would be the next to pose with my own. I would be the girl that had lost 125 pounds in six months and was flaunting my newly found, perfectly tanned beach body in front of millions of infomercial viewers. Wrong, wrong, very wrong! This new way of life is not a fad and I am not going to lose 125 in 6 months! This new way is hard and tough, but produces long term results; and the secrets that I am uncovering are long-term as well.
At this point, I have more or less gotten my habits in check within my home. I purchase what I can eat and don't what I cant. I have a routine for my eating and it works well for my daily grind. However, one of my hang-ups happens to be when I leave the house.
Leaving the house means that I am leaving my routine and my control behind. I have been able to master the restaurant routine pretty well and I will be sharing my tips for this later. What I don't have in check is visiting another house. It could be a friend or a family member, but a visit to dinner at another house still derails me! When I am out of my house, temptations are present and I have no control over the menu. It is burdensome for me because I want to do the right thing for my health and I don't want to hurt my friend's feelings.
The dilemma in my head usually goes like this. "This food looks delicious and smells even better! I know my friend must have worked so hard on it and she will be proud to hear how great it tastes! Darn, it's not detox friendly, but I have to eat something. I certainly don't want to hurt my friend's feelings! Ugh, what am I supposed to do?"
Now that dilemma is one that I enter quite often and I hate feeling that way. I know how important my health is, but thinking that I may hurt someone's feelings really makes me feel awful! So what have I decided to do about it? Well, this is where the secret comes in. I have decided to...prepare!
Preparation has been my new found secret to losing weight even though I am out with friends. The most important thing about being out with friends is that I am spending time with them and not have a battle in my head about what to eat. So when I visit friend's or family's houses in the future I will follow this plan:
1. Bring my own meal from home. If I know the meal isn't clean, or I am unsure, I will follow this idea. I will either grab something from my clean, frozen arsenal in the garage or make myself a quick and clean dinner to eat.
2. Let my friends know that I have food sensitivities. Doing this will let them know that I would love to eat their food but cant because of how it affects my body. It will also help me to not feel guilty because I have explained myself. In addition, it will keep them from wondering why I have chosen not to eat their family recipe lasagna.
3. Offer to bring a clean side. If I know that part of the meal may be clean, such as the main dish, then I will bring something else that I can eat. This will allow me to contribute to the meal and stay on track.
4. Bring plenty of fizzies. At times, visiting friends or family, I can get bored and start snacking. It's not that the conversation isn't good, but more that this is a horrible habit when I'm out. I am the girl that grazes all night! If I have a large glass of water with a fizzie in it, then I am less likely to graze for flavor. I will simply sip and chat and stay on track.
I am so excited to continually learn secrets and tips that I can use to stay the course and lead a happy, healthy life!
Giving it my all,
Jess
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